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Pilot survey of the Estonian Labour Force Survey is about to begin
Kuupäev 03.10.2019
Article
On 7 October, Statistics Estonia will launch a pilot Labour Force Survey, which will be conducted in parallel to the regular Labour Force Survey. The aim of the pilot survey is to test the renewed questionnaire and methodology, which will be implemented in 2021. This is the first time that the respondents can use an online questionnaire and the sample of the survey will include persons aged 75‒89.
Labour force participation rate at highest for 20 years
Kuupäev 14.08.2017
Article
According to Statistics Estonia, in the 2nd quarter of 2017, the unemployment rate was 7%, the employment rate 66.9% and the labour force participation rate 72%. Compared to the 2nd quarter of 2016, the employment rate remained on the same level and the labour force participation rate reached its highest level for 20 years.
Area
The working-age population is divided into three: employees, i.e. employed persons; unemployed persons and economically inactive persons. The employed and the unemployed together form the economically active population, i.e. the labour force. An employed person is someone who worked during the reference period and was paid as a wage earner, entrepreneur or freelancer. An employed person is also someone who worked without direct payment in a family enterprise or own farm, or was temporarily absent from work. An unemployed person is someone who does not work anywhere, but who is actively seeking
Number of unemployed persons down in third quarter
Kuupäev 14.11.2025
Article
“In the third quarter, overall labour market indicators improved compared with both the third quarter of last year and the second quarter of this year,” stated Tea Vassiljeva, analyst at Statistics Estonia. She added that there were a total of 54,200 unemployed persons in the third quarter, which is 5,000 fewer than in the second quarter and 2,100 fewer than in the third quarter of last year. The unemployment rate (7.1%), i.e. the share of the unemployed in the labour force, was 0.3 percentage points lower in the third quarter than in the same quarter last year (7.4%) and 0.7 percentage points
Article
“In the third quarter, the 2% higher cost of materials had the biggest impact on the construction price index compared with the third quarter of last year. The costs of labour force and building machines both rose by 1.2%,” said Ülo Paulus, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia. Compared with the second quarter of 2025, labour costs increased by 0.4% and materials were 0.3% more expensive, while the cost of using building machines decreased by 0.6%. “Prices associated with building machines were mainly driven down by savings from adjusted fuel prices. The higher cost of materials was primarily
Construction price index up by 1.4% compared with the second quarter of last year
Kuupäev 22.07.2025
Article
Ülo Paulus, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, pointed out that in the second quarter, compared with the same period in 2024, the construction price index was primarily influenced by the increase in wages of workers, which accounted for 37% of the index change. However, the impact of wage growth on the change in the index was 5.5 percentage points lower than last year. “Compared with the first quarter of 2025, labour force was 0.1% more expensive, whereas the cost of using building machines and the price of building materials each increased by 1.2%. The rise in the cost of machinery was
The rise in construction prices in the first quarter was curbed by the lower cost of materials
Kuupäev 22.04.2025
Article
Ülo Paulus, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2024, the construction price index was primarily influenced by the 2.9% increase in employees’ wages, which accounted for 54% of the index change. “Compared with the fourth quarter of last year, labour force was 0.6% more expensive and the cost of using building machines rose by 0.3%, while the prices of building materials were down by 0.2%,” explained Paulus. The repair and reconstruction work price index decreased by 0.5% compared with the fourth quarter of 2024
Number of unemployed persons down by 5,000 from first quarter
Kuupäev 15.08.2025
Article
“Compared with the first quarter, labour market indicators have improved, but remain below the figures for the second quarter of 2024,” said Tea Vassiljeva, analyst at Statistics Estonia. The analyst noted that while the unemployment rate in the second quarter (7.8%) was slightly higher than in last year’s second quarter (7.6%), it was 0.8 percentage points lower than in the first quarter of 2025. “The unemployment rate for men (8.4%) was higher than that for women (7.2%). There were a total of 59,200 unemployed persons in the second quarter, which is 5,000 fewer than in the previous quarter
Article
Tea Vassiljeva, analyst at Statistics Estonia, explained that there were 64,200 unemployed persons in the first quarter of 2025, which is the highest value of this indicator in the last 12 years. “The number of the unemployed increased by 5,300 compared with the same quarter of last year. The unemployment rate rose to 8.6%, which is 0.8 percentage points more than a year earlier and 1.2 percentage points more than in the fourth quarter of last year,” noted Vassiljeva. The unemployment rate was 9% for men and 8.2% for women. “Ida-Viru county was the only region where the unemployment rate